1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a housing seal for cable through-duct apertures which can be inserted into a receptacle for the cable through-duct apertures. The housing seal has at least two sealing areas with different sealing contours and can be inserted into the receptacle in different directions as desired.
2. Discussion of the Related Technology
A sealing element for a cable through-duct aperture is known from FR-A-26 36 790. The sealing element is made of an elastic material and is provide with holes with different diameters for cables of different thicknesses. The cables can be inserted into the holes with corresponding inside diameters via slots in the elements. The elements are then inserted into corresponding receptacles of a housing. To close and seal the holes in which there are no cables, additional parts are provided that are inserted into the open holes. Several parts that must be kept in stock and must be present at the site of installation are necessary for this purpose, thereby increasing production and storage costs.
An equipment housing with a cable insertion aperture having a reversible slide that is guided into guide grooves is disclosed in DE-A-40 07 029. Depending upon the direction of insertion into the guide grooves, said slide either closes the cable aperture or secures the cable in the insertion aperture. On the side faces of the slide, detentes are provided that keep the slide in its position when supported on a housing edge. This arrangement is not intended for sealing a cable insertion aperture, nor is it suitable for doing so, since sealing elements are not used. In addition, when sealing elements are used for sealing, it is not possible to maintain sufficient pressure by the detentes to ensure reliable sealing over along period.
A closure element for cable passages in walls, for example in fire walls between the engine compartments and passenger compartments of motor vehicles, is disclosed in DE-C-43 10 451. The closure element presses on the cable that goes through the fire wall and as a result makes it possible to insulate against sound, water, or odor with the cables inserted. This known closure element and its arrangement are neither intended nor suitable, however, for closing or sealing the wall passage when cables are not installed.
DE-U-91 02 752 calls for an arrangement for strain relief for a cable with a polygonal plate that is to be inserted into a housing. The plate has recesses that vary in contour on their narrow sides and can be detachably inserted into a housing pocket of an arm. Strain relief for cables with different diameters can be ensured by the different recesses in the contour and corresponding insertion of the polygonal plate into the housing pocket. This known device for strain relief is, however, not intended or suitable for a housing seal since the recesses that do not receive any cables allow free passage into the inside of the housing. To close these passages, additional closure seals would be necessary.
In the un-prepublished German Patent Application 44 39 784 from the same applicant, a housing seal for cable through-duct apertures is disclosed. In at least two sealing areas of the housing seal, sections are provided that lie beside one another relative to the through-duct device. The sections rest on different support surfaces with the housing seal inserted into the receptacle in different directions as desired. This housing seal has proven itself very well. Owing to the design of the areas of the sections of the housing seal that are side-by-side and complementary to the support surfaces, the height of the housing seal cannot, however, be reduced below a certain value. Therefor, the housing seal and thus also the receptacle for the housing seal on the housing have relatively large dimensions. Moreover, the housing seal has drawbacks when asymmetrical cable contours, especially asymmetrical flat cables, are used. When such asymmetrical cables are looped through a housing, two different seals are necessary that are rotated by 180.degree. with respect to the asymmetry of the cable. Owing to the sections that lie together relative to the through-duct direction, one of which has the cable-sealing contour, a single seal is therefore not sufficient.